Witnesses at Senate hearings can come from almost any background. It could be academics, company representatives, government officials, or prominent members of the public that are likely to be affected by whatever the subject of the hearing is.

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There is also a level of bi-partisan support for the move to bring Facebook to a hearing.

A rare instance of political unity

The House of Representatives has also called for a hearing, with Democrat Maxine Waters and Republican Patrick McHenry calling for the tech giant to testify before the House Finance Committee.

Waters, a far-left politician from California, has even asked that Facebook cease development of Libra until Congress can examine the privacy and financial risk that the cryptocurrency poses.

“With the announcement that it plans to create a cryptocurrency, Facebook is continuing its unchecked expansion and extending its reach into the lives of its users,” Waters, who has 335,000 Facebook followers, said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Given the company’s troubled past, I am requesting that Facebook agree to a moratorium on any movement forward on developing a cryptocurrency until Congress and regulators have the opportunity to examine these issues and take action.”